Malta Fashion Week MFWA 2018 – Day 5

MFWA 2018 Day 5 Fashion shows

Bata Spaspjevic

It was the first appearance of Bata Spaspjevic from Belgrade, Serbia, at Malta Fashion Week. In 1999, right after he graduated from the Department of costume design at the University of Belgrade, he began working for Centrotexil, a famous fashion brand in Serbia and a year later established his own brand called INDIVIDUAL.

From just his brand name, it is very evident that Bata gives high priority to self-expression through clothing. This was definitely something seen in his collection at Malta Fashion Week. His style, is exactly what I think of when I think of street style. It is expressive, edgy, chic with the right amount of glamour. I loved the variety he presented for both men and women, however I was taken over by the designs his collection had for men.

We live in a time, where many think that women have a bigger variety in terms of fashion, however Bata Spaspjevic’s INDIVIDUAL collection shows just the opposite. He has shown how it is possible to provide men with just as many options in the fashion sense, as women have and that was something that has been on my mind since the first day of fashion week, and I was very pleased to have seen a designer settle my thoughts on this issue through his work.

The models’ hair was done by the lead hairstylist Dominic Jr. Bartolo and his team using Tresemme hair products, together with the lead makeup artist Mateja Camilleri and her team using Evagarden makeup.

Jason Grech

Jason Grech, Maltese Australian showcasing his collection in Malta at Fashion Week for the very first time. It was indeed a very exciting show before it even began. Malta is a small country and even though there are many more Maltese living outside of Malta, it is always very exciting to see a Maltese reach new heights out there, in the big wild world. I think it is safe so say that everyone was extremely excited to see Jason’s work for themselves.

Let me begin with the presentation of the show. A band was set up on one of the balconies of the St. Elmo fort, overlooking the runway. Once the band began playing music which is very familiar to many of us as we here this type of music especially during traditional festivals, the first model appeared in an incredible long white gown with a beautiful print along the bottom of the dress leading up. After that, one stunning dress after the next followed.

Jason Grech’s collection had several different styles, with the majority of being long gowns with mermaid tails. There were also several shorter dresses. What brought my attention the most is the way some of the dresses had long loose sleeves which were split open and carefully attached to the back of the dress. This was truly a beautiful detail which I had not seen before.

The models’ hair was done by the lead hairstylist Claire Vassallo and her team using Tresemme hair products, together with the lead makeup artist Jean Zammit and his team using Evagarden makeup. The line up of the models was always very different to the usual shows, with the models having walked out in a line and stop. They then split in a zigzag order and turned towards the audience, after which each, starting from the first, walked back down the middle past the others standing.

Presentation is a lot for a fashion show. It is the first and final moment where the designer can truly leave a mark for the viewers, and Jason certainly did! After the show, he invited the guests to join him for a drink and happily greeted everyone, together with the models that were still wearing his beautiful gowns. This gave us the opportunity not only to introduce ourselves and speak to him, but also get a closer look at the collection.

Rosemarie Abela

Rosemarie Abela is a Maltese designer, who is also no stranger to the public. This year Rosemarie took us into a completely different destination and culture with her collection “Al-Magrib”, translating “Kingdom of Morocco” in Arabic. As the name suggest, this collection was inspired by Moroccan architecture which she reflected in the style, colours and details in her items.

The models’ hair was done by the lead hairstylist Flavia Borg Attard and her team using Tresemme hair products, together with the lead makeup artist Elaine Galea and her team using Evagarden makeup. The hair stylists created a variety of looks from a salty wet hair look to messy grand hair, which fit perfectly with Rosemarie’s collection. As for the makeup, stunning vibrant orange eyeshadow transformed the models into mysterious apparitions from the desert. Both hair and makeup did an incredible job!

The accent colour was a beautiful shade of yellow, which brought that look and feel of the Sahara desert. The collection also contained elements of middle eastern style, such as the high waisted and wide trousers, but they were presented in a very modern way.

I am a huge fan of understanding other cultures and Rosemarie’s collection allowed for me to feel this Moroccan experience through her work. Something that will stay with me forever, is how well the designer combined a cultural inspiration and moulded it into modern fashion. I think this is quite an important aspect to consider as fashion changes as do we, but it is also important to keep in mind the roots or the past that was the foundation of what is present right now. In my view, Rosemarie managed to materialise just that.